EP.37 The Castle in the Depths
They have no ambition, no sense of crisis. Even when I explain it like this, they just go "Heh," and accept it. The suffocation that only those who have taught someone can feel constricts my chest.
Doesn't anyone feel anything?
At that moment, the Regressor, who had been quietly crossing her arms, finally opened her mouth. Oh, what question will she ask?
"Why are you telling us this?"
Sigh. It wasn't a question, but an interrogation. As if to prove she's in the terminal stage of paranoia.
I retorted without hiding my disappointment.
"Are you complaining even though I'm telling you?"
"I have to. Tantalus is a Level 5 classified facility. The structure of a military nation's classified facility must at least have a corresponding security clearance level. But you casually tell us, who have absolutely no security clearance, about this fact. It's a classified information leak of up to 5 levels difference. What's your reason?"
Complaining even when told. How can you live just doubting everything in the world? Just accept it like a Vampire going "Ooh, fascinating."
The Regressor didn't seem like she would back down without a proper explanation. I intended to give just a slight reason.
"Because, you need to know this to have a sense of ownership."
"Sense of ownership?"
"That's right. You know the Resistance attacked yesterday, right?"
"So?"
She casually says 'So?'. Angered, I shouted at the questioning Regressor.
"Am I using this land alone? Am I guarding it alone? For some reason, it seems like I'm doing all the work alone. Still, since you all live on this land too, please pay a little attention! The ground is literally about to collapse, so what the hell are you all doing being lazy in your own rooms!"
If you realize that the ground we're standing on could collapse at any moment, you'd feel a sense of crisis and try to stop it!
"The one who went to get the supply box this time was me, the one who discovered the Resistance in advance was me, and the one who thwarted their plan was me! It's all on me. I took all the burden alone!"
"That's your job, isn't it?"
"Survival is each person's responsibility! Are you just going to die if I don't save you?"
"Did you even save me?"
"Well you know it! Do you know what kind of plan the invading Resistance was trying to carry out yesterday? Look!"
I strode up to the chalkboard and erased both ends of Tantalus with my fingers. Then I drew a thick line right through the middle with chalk.
"Here! The opposite side! The middle! They were trying to plant three bombs here and detonate them simultaneously to split this Tantalus in half and drop it!"
When I pounded the chalkboard once, the Tantalus in the drawing vibrated, dropping chalk dust. Starting from the collapsed ends, the exquisitely balanced Tantalus tilted. A heavy structure with broken balance has its own weight as its greatest enemy. An explosion from the center, bursting like a wedge driven into such a place.
At that consequence, the Regressor let out a small gasp.
"Ah."
'Tantalus... collapsed like this?'
Tantalus can't hold on. It splits right in half and falls down below. The Tantalus in the drawing met its ruin just like that.
I pounded the chalkboard loudly again. The Regressor returned from her thoughts.
"What? The ground right beneath your feet almost ended up like this! You guys were just calmly staying there and only strolled out after the whole situation was over! If I hadn't actively stopped it, everyone including myself would have become lost children in the Bottomless Pit! Right? Am I wrong?"
The Regressor, who had maintained a defensive posture with her arms crossed, eventually had to concede. She quietly uncrossed her arms, turned her gaze slightly, and muttered.
"...You're right, I guess."
"Are you thankful or not?"
"Not enough to say... thank you. You only did it to survive yourself."
Look at her saving her pride until the very end. Can't she just say the word thank you?
"Wow. Someone was happy that a practice partner came even when invaders stormed in. What's with that way of thinking?"
"?! H-how."
"How did I know, you ask? Did you think I wouldn't know? A guy dressed in military gear headed straight for the 1st floor, and after a while, Sey the trainee came out holding that guy's neck. With Sey the trainee's ability, she could have blown his head off in one blow, so why did you have to fight and brawl with him there?"
"T-that's. Because of a lack of real combat experience."
"Look at you risking your life to fight just because you lack real combat experience. Even when the other invaders were planting bombs at that time! That complacency created the current crisis! Tantalus is safe only because I responded in time!"
Every word I said was undeniably true. The Regressor tried to find fault with my words as a defense mechanism, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't find any grounds to do so. The Regressor clicked her tongue and conceded.
"Tch, fine. I'll just step up next time, okay?"
"Good! Please remember those words!"
According to the brief recollection the Regressor had brought up, there will be at least a few more people invading this place in the future. Probably, someone among them will be a great enough guy to be involved in the destruction of the world.
Do I have to stop that? No way. It's not only impossible, but I don't want to either. I had to risk my life just to catch Kanisen and the other Resistance members, so why should I face anything beyond that?
"From now on, whoever falls here, you guys handle them yourselves. Don't put it off thinking someone else will do it! Let's make it so that the first person to discover them handles it! Understood?!"
If it were just me, that'd be one thing. Why should I work when the Regressor and the Progenitor of Vampires are here! A person with strong martial power should do the job that requires martial power for it to be a positive influence!
"If a guy with impure intentions falls next time. I won't lift a single finger against the next invader!"
Alright. With this, I've created a justification to run away when the next invader storms in. Phew. One immunity from criticism. I've gained something very precious. When someone comes next time, I'll just lie like the Immortal with my limbs stretched out and play dead.
While I was devising a way to escape, the Vampire tilted her head and spoke.
"Aren't you making too much of a fuss over yesterday's events?"
"Huh, a fuss?"
Do they call it making a fuss these days even when your life hangs by a thread? I was so dumbfounded I couldn't keep my mouth shut, but the Vampire went a step further.
"Didn't you easily take care of everything that happened yesterday yourself? You cleaned it up as neatly as rinsing your mouth after a meal, yet you have so much to say."
"Rinsing my mouth after a meal?"
Does she really think I easily cleaned up the Resistance?
Overestimation is fine. But the moment it's used as a reason to dump overwork on me, it becomes a cursed shackle. I frantically waved my hands.
"No, please don't believe me! Unlike you all, I'm a normal human with only one life! I'm not safe even if I get shot like Tirkanjaka the trainee, and I don't have any bizarre tools like Sey the trainee! The only thing I can rely on is my body!"
"Right. And with just your body, you took down three of them. Without spilling a single drop of blood."
"Why is three important? Two of them were lackeys, and the other one was a completely insignificant guy! It wasn't dangerous at all! I'm not that great!"
"Your last opponent, he was certainly a knight. You subdued that knight without a single scratch and even bound him. When I sensed his death, the only wound on his body was the one you finished him with."
"No, that's."
"Moreover, aren't you a step above Sey? Originally, the stronger and higher-standing one must bear the greater duty."
This is bad.
Right now, the Vampire firmly believes I'm a step above the Regressor!
The Vampire, who knows nothing about the world these days, is taking a very receptive attitude toward the information and stimuli given from the outside. Even if I told her that a giant demonic golem appeared and flew across the sky as the lid of the Military Nation's headquarters split open, she would believe it as is. It's similar to a newborn chick perceiving the world.
"In the first place, if you have the title of Instructor, you should think about stepping forward and leading. Those who do the nation's work should lead the people first, shouldn't they?"
Even in the midst of that, she can't drop her bossy attitude and is scolding me based on that very judgment!
Mistakenly thinking I'm strong, that's fine. I intended that a little bit too. However, raising me up this excessively like this is dangerous.
They misunderstand on their own, and when the misunderstanding is cleared, they'll blame me, and if it's not cleared, I'll be driven into a life-threatening crisis.
The higher you climb, the more dangerous the fall. What should I do? It's time to let the wind out.
At least the Regressor has good eyes, so maybe she'll slowly figure it out.
'Subdued a knight without a single scratch? Barehanded at that? ...Could I do that? No, in my current state where I haven't even fully built my body, it's impossible. Tch, I hate to admit it... but he seems stronger than me. Right now.'
Don't judge just by hearing people talk! Please, judge after seeing me fight with your own eyes! If you don't want to admit it, confirm it with your own two eyes!
Tch. If I stay here any longer, it looks like I'll end up having to protect the Regressor. Can't be helped. Emergency escape.
I dug my fingernails in and scraped the chalkboard right then. At the spine-chilling sound, the Regressor frowned, the Vampire narrowed her brows, and Azi, who had been lying flat on his stomach sleeping in the back, yelped and jumped up in place.
Secret Technique: Chalkboard Scraping.
A technique that cuts off an unfavorable flow of conversation and escapes a crisis with a terrible noise. Having drawn people's attention with this forbidden technique, I shouted.
"Then let's go with a rotation system. Anyway, I cleaned it up this time, right? Next time some bad guys invade, one of you clean it up yourselves! That is all...!"
"Woof! Woof woof! Woof!"
But then Azi barked fiercely at me. What's wrong with him again.
"Grr! Woof! Woof woof!"
Roughly guessing, it seemed he was angry because there was some noise from scraping the chalkboard while he was sleeping.
A dog's hearing is dozens of times greater than a human's, and reaching Azi, who is the king of that, he can even hear whispers from the opposite side of Tantalus. It's just that Azi has somewhat low intelligence and has learned a way to just let meaningless noise slip by and ignore it. If I were to mutter "stupid mutt" anywhere in Tantalus, he would hear it no matter where he is in Tantalus, stiffen his tail, and bare his teeth.
A noise attack on such a dog was extremely effective. Thinking about it, I feel a little, just a dog-hair's worth, sorry.
As a human being, I can't bow my head to a dog first. I held my head up high and glared at Azi.
"Who told you to sleep during class? And what, you were scratching concrete with your own claws, so a human can scrape a chalkboard a little. What are you gonna do about it? You gonna rebel?"
"Grr! Woof!"
It means he will rebel.
Absurd. For a mere dog to rise up against a human. How insolent. I must clearly show the difference between humans and dogs.
I raised both hands toward Azi and smiled awkwardly.
"Thinking about it again, I think I'm a little sorry. How about we make up here?"
What humans can do and dogs cannot, that is conversation and concession. I attempted a compromise with the dog.
And it didn't work at all.
"Woof!"
The livestock's rebellion was so sudden that there was no time to react. Azi flew across the classroom. Before I knew it, my shoulder was grabbed, and I tumbled to the ground with Azi. When I came to my senses, I was pinned down in a mount position.
Since he didn't seem to intend to attack, he didn't bare his claws and just pressed down hard, but with just this, I couldn't move an inch. It feels like an iron stake is pressing down on my shoulder.
How can they think I'm strong when I show this kind of sight every day. They must clearly have something wrong with their eyes.
Still, I can't show myself being defeated by a dog. That is human pride.
I said while being pinned down by Azi.
"Today's class ends here. Now, everyone go back."
The Vampire gathered her parasol and sat on the coffin. The pitch-black coffin floated up as usual, and flew toward the door carrying the Vampire.
"Alright. It was fun."
"I didn't hold the class for it to be fun. Please leave quickly. I'm going to show this puppy a lesson."
I had a brief staring contest with Azi. I can see eyes full of complaints. A cheeky creature that commits insubordination just because I scraped a chalkboard a little. I'll show him a lesson.
The Regressor stopped walking after following the Vampire out. Her gaze turned toward me and Azi.
'Are they going to fight? If I see those two fighting properly, I think I'll roughly know their strength. Umm. Should I watch for a bit?'
"What are you doing. Are you done watching? If you're not going to get the dog off me, hurry up and leave."
When I waved my hand while lying down, the Regressor swallowed a groan and turned her head.
'She's definitely on guard. She probably means she won't show all her strength.'
Wrong. It means I don't have any strength worth showing you. Since there's no spectacle, hurry up and leave.
As I waved my hand back and forth, the Regressor swallowed a groan and turned away.
"Right. You two work it out."
The Regressor coolly turned her body and went out the door. With a thud, the thick tin door firmly closed.
A brief silence.
Immediately after, a trail of thought was heard from beyond the door.
'Piercing eyes. Green eyes...'
"Telling you to leave doesn't mean for you to go out and watch, Sey the trainee. Peeping isn't a very good behavior, so leave quickly before you look even worse!"
The Regressor flinched greatly, then used wind walking or something and ran down the hallway without making a sound.
'T-Th-this isn't running away. Right. I'm just pretending to be outside to catch a more certain opportunity later. A retreat for the sake of advancing.'
Pretending, my foot. I felt it all, you know. She got a taste of easy living after regressing, so she can't drop the habit.
Anyway, now there is no one by my side except Azi, who is in a mount position with his teeth bared. Since I hadn't been paying attention to him, he was growling even more violently.
"Is everyone gone?"
"Grrrrr."
"Yeah. Seems like everyone's gone."
Confirming that thoughts could no longer be heard, I faced Azi, who was staring straight at me with both eyes wide open.
I spoke with more determination and sincerity than ever before in the world.
"I'm sorry, Azi. I won't do it again next time."
"Grr."
"Aw, come on, cheer up. I just forgot you were there. I didn't know you hated the sound of scraping the chalkboard this much."
"Woof!"
"Good boy, good boy. Puppy~ Puppy~ Good puppy who doesn't get angry."
"Arf, arf!"
"You know I love you, right? Come on, I'll pet you. Move your paws."
"Woof!"
Azi moved his front paws that were grabbing my shoulder, and whipped his body around in that state. His ears were twitching, so it seemed like he meant for me to pet him. Talk about a complete reversal of attitude.
Ugh, I raised my waist and sat Azi on my thigh as I stroked his scruffy hair. Before long, Azi was whimpering with a completely softened expression.
"Phew. Life."
"Woof!"
"I'm really glad I can be with a puppy like you in my life."
"Woof woof!"
Well, I said that, but if I had to pick the best individual among those left in Tantalus, it would be Azi.
It's not a matter of preference. It's a matter of return on investment.
Where else could you find such a stupid existence where the input and output are clearly profitable. Even if you make him a little upset, just whisper a few lip-service words, sit him on your lap, and pet him, and he's appeased. How much easier is he to handle compared to the Vampire or the Regressor.
Usually I feed him, take him for walks, and play with him, but that's about it.
He has a lot of complaints, and when things go wrong he just keeps barking at me, but that's about it.
When it comes to actually fighting humans, he's of no help at all. But that's about it.
...Huh?
Could this woof-woof be the most useless existence?
But the effort already invested is too great to cut ties now. Swallowing my tears, I raised my fingers and added today's maintenance cost to the furry lump of sunk costs.